Border Force detain seven Malaysian unlawful non-citizens in Anketell

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Seven Malaysian unlawful non-citizens were detained by Australian Border Force officials yesterday morning after migration warrants were executed on a property in Anketell.

Officers said they located four men, two women and a teenage boy at the property, who were all extended members of the same family.

The detention was part of an ongoing national operation targeting unscrupulous labour hire intermediaries and foreign worker exploitation.

Camera IconABF officials said four men, two women and a teenage boy were located at the property.Picture: ABF

Officers said the primary target of the warrant, a 28-year-old man, was suspected of involvement in illegal worker exploitation in the agricultural sector. He was also suspected of operating as an unregistered migration agent, exploiting Electronic Travel Authority and Protection Visa processes.

The man is said to have been living in Australia as a unlawful non-citizen since July 2017.

The other men detained were two of his brothers, aged 24 and 32, and his father aged 54.

ABF investigators suspect the target’s adult brothers were also working illegally.

All four men have been detained at the Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre pending their removal from Australia.

Officers said the warrant target’s 47-year old mother, 24-year-old sister-in-law and 13-year-old brother were also found to be living in the house, and were also suspected of being unlawful non-citizens.

The mother and the 13-year-old have been placed in an Alternative Place of Detention and the 24-year-old was sent to the Perth Immigration Detention Centre.

It is expected they will be removed back to Malaysia with the four men soon.

Camera IconABF said the conditions inside that rental house were squalid.Picture: ABF

ABF Superintendent of Enforcement Operations in WA Clint Sims said Operation Battenrun had achieved considerable success since it started late last year, targeting people facilitating illegal foreign work and organised migration fraud.

“The exploitation of illegal workers is a blight on our society. Those workers are extremely vulnerable and are often underpaid and poorly treated,” Superintendent Simms said.

“The conditions inside that rental house were squalid to say the least.

“The unscrupulous individuals facilitating illegal worker exploitation are making significant profits at their expense, and it also disadvantages local businesses who do the right thing by paying and treating their workers properly.

“This is an operational priority for the ABF and we are working very hard to identify and take action against those organising illegal work and foreign worker exploitation.”

Camera IconInside the Anketell property.Picture: ABF

The removal of these individuals will be referred to Malaysian authorities with the intention of preventing future travel outside of Malaysia.

The ABF also participates in Taskforce Cadena, to detect and disrupt criminal syndicates that profit from the criminal exploitation of foreign workers and Australia's migration system.

ABF asks people with information about anyone who might be facilitating visa fraud or illegal work to contact Border Watch.